Front panel for player-pianos.



M. PRISOIANTELLI.

' FRONT PANEL FOB. PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6 1912.

' Patented May 6, 1913.

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I TTUIJNEIS M. PRISGIANTELLI. FRONT PANEL FOB PLAYER HANDS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. s, 1912.

1,060,627, Patented May 6, 1913.

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a. MYIII IIIJIIIIZIQ Q 1 u v I I I I ITNESSES in V5 10/? W Mikepriacianiellzl t 4M4 A4 I M Arron/ms UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MIKE PRISCIANTELLI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO BEI-INING PIANOCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FRONT PANEL FOR PLAYER-PIANOS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIKE PRISCIANTELLI, a subject of the King of Italy,residing in the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and Stateof New York, have invented a certain new and useful Front Panel forPlayer-Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in top frames for player pianos.

In manipulating player pianos, it is necessary, for reasons well known,that the perforated music sheet be visible to the operator as it passesover the tracker. The tracker is generally positioned in the upper partof an upright piano, approximately centrally of the width thereof, andit is customary to provide a door or doors in that portion of theswinging front panel imme diately in front of the tracker. The door isadapted to be opened when the piano is to be played, and it is throughthe said opening that the operator follows the perforated sheet, wherebyhe manipulates the proper stops, etc., with which the instrument isprovided. In the type of piano adverted to, it is extremely diflicult tomake a neat dust proof door, which is easily operable, and yet notdetract from the appearance of the piano when open, or be unsightlywhenthe instrument is closed. The unsightly and unattractive character ofthe closures heretofore used,

revealing as they do that the instrument is a player piano rather thanthe standard piano, has been a serious drawback to their popularity.

A salient feature of novelty of theprescnt invention, is a closure forthe sight openings in player pianos, which will, when closed, so closelyresemble a stationary panel, in construction and attractiveness, as notto be distinguishable therefrom except by most careful examination.

Applicants structure embodies means for closing the necessary opening inthe front panel, in such manner that it will be absolutely dust proof,may be quickly and readily adjusted to open or closed position,

and, when closed, will not be distinguishable from the standardstationary panel.

The invention from a specific aspect, embodies a horizontal slidemounted on the swinging front panel, said slide being reduced in widthfor a portion of its length, whereby the opening may be tightly.closed,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 6, 1912.

Patented May 6, 1913.

Serial No. 718,828.

or a portion thereof left open for the reasons heretofore given. Atransparent slide is also provided which cooperates with the main slideto render the opening dust proof and yet permit the operator to observethe data on the traveling music sheet.

Features of the invention, other than those described, as well as thefunctions and advantages of the complete invention will more fullyappear from the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one practical embodimentof the invention, but the construction shown therein is to be understoodas illustrative only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 shows the front elevation of applicants improved front panel,the parts thereof being in normally closed position,

and the front panel mounted within the usual skeleton frame. Fig. 2 is arear elevation of the front panel with the skeleton frame omitted, theparts of said front panel being shown in opened position. Figs. 3, 4-

and 5 are vertical transverse sections through different portions of thefront panel, said sections being taken on lines 3-8, 4:4 and 5-5,respectively, of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the frontpanel taken on the horizontal line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail of acertain finger piece employed. Fig. 8 is a detail of one of a pluralityof bearings which are enrployed to support one of the slides used incarrying out thepresent invention. Fig. 9 is a detail of the rod whichsupports the bearings illustrated in Fig. 8, the means for supportingsaid rod being illustrated therein.

In the drawings, A indicates a swinging front panel of a player piano,so called be cause it is pivoted at its upper edge to the skeleton frameB, of the piano and is adapted to be swung outwardly at its bottom. Thefront panel A, is generally of elongated rectangular shape, as shown,and .is provided with an opening G, centrally of its length, throughwhich the data on the music sheet, not shown, may be followed. Inapplicants structure, the opening C, is preferably made substantiallysquare and is positioned somewhat high in the top frame A. Thus, the topof the opening G, is bordered by the top rail of the skeleton frame B,and suflicient space is left at the bottom of the panel to allow for amolding D. The side edges of the opening are finished off with suitableornamented pilasters E, E, thereby completely closing in the aperture byan attractive border, thereby giving the front face of the front panelthe same pleasing appearance as the stationary panel in the standardtype of piano.

The means for closing the opening C, is embodied more particularly in aslide F, of sufficient height to adequately cover the opening. This ismounted on the back of the front panel and retained in sliding relationtherewith by the guides f and f, which are fixedly secured to said frontpanel and engage the top and bottom edges respectively, of the slide F.This slide is, in length, a little more than twice the breadth of theopening 0, and said slide is reduced for one half of its length toapproximately one half its height. Theconstruction thus describedpermits of moving the slide back and forth, the aperture or openingbeing entirely closed when the wide half of the slide is presentedthereto, and the upper half of said aperture being open when said slideis slid to its other position, said slide being restricted to itsdesired range of travel by means of stops f and f secured on the frontpanel. It will thus be seen that the opening C, when closed, either inwhole or in part, has a stationary panel effect.

The movement of the slide F is accomplished by means of a finger pieceG, positioned at the center upright edge of said slide and at the topthereof. This finger may be of any desired and suitable construction,but one very practical embodiment is shown in Fig. 7, of the drawings.It consists of an attaching portion 9, which engages the top edge of theslide and is secured thereto by means of screws not shown. From thedepending front flange g of the attaching portion 9, laterally extendingwings g, are provided at either end thereof, which form the fingerpieces of the panel. The slide F, is cut away at either side of theopening C, as shown at c, to allow for the entrance of these wingswhereby they are concealed from view when the slide is in either of itspositions, but are readily accessible to the fingers. A further cuttingaway of the inner edge of the front panel, at 0, adjacent to theopening, allows the slide to be slid back and forth, at will.

In order to preclude the entrance of dust, dirt and moisture to theinner mechanism of the piano, when the slide F is in its openedposition, a cooperating glass slide L, is provided. This glass slide ispreferably about one half of the height of the slide F, and one half thelength thereof, and is mounted on the front panel, in substantialalinement with the main slide F, being inclependently movable therefrom.A rod I,

preferably of metal, is mounted near the upper edge of the front paneland on the back thereof, by means of hangers J, in such manner as to notinterfere with the sliding of the slide F, and this rod forms thesupporting element on which the glass slide is hung, by the meanspresently to be described. Blocks K, of wood, fiber, or the like, are

% secured to the top edge of the glass slide and adjacent to either endthereof, by means of angle irons 76, secured to the blocks and to saidslide by the screws and 70 respectively. The said blocks have holes 1',passing longitudinally therethrough, whereby they are adapted to ride onthe supporting bar I. The holes in the angle irons through which thescrews 70, are passed, are slightly elongated longitudinal of the angleirons, and set screws are provided in the turned-over portions of saidirons, which set screws may be turned so as to eXert pressure on thebearing blocks K, whereby the glass slide may be raised or loweredrelative to the supporting bar I, for purposes of adjustment. Said slidemay, furthermore, be slid into and out of engagement with the open ingC, bymeans of a flexible tab Z, which is at all times readily accessibleto the fingers.

From the construction thus described, it will be obvious that, since theglass slide L is one half the width of the wide half of the slide F, theformer will cooperate with the reduced half of the latter, to close theopening C, when said slide F is in opened position. A keeper a, ispositioned on the upper edge of the reduced portion of the slide F, forretaining the glass slide from swinging out of alinement. Furthermore,the set screws 71 1 may be manipulated to adjust the glass slide to suchposition that the lower edge thereof will make a practically dust proofjoint with the upper edge of the reduced portion of the slide F.

lVhen a person desires to play a player piano embodying applicantsconstruction, and finds the parts thereof in normally closed position,his first move is to grasp the finger piece G, on the large slide, andthus move said slide into opened position. This leaves the upper half ofthe aperture C, open, allowing for the convenient change of the musicrolls or records. After such changes have been made, and all is ready toproceed with the playing of the piano, the person reaches up and,grasping the finger tab Z, slides the glass slide to close the openingin front of the tracker, thereby precluding the entrance of dust ormoisture into the interior of the piano, the transparency of the glassallowing for the operator to readily follow the data on the music sheet.Then the operator has ceased playing and desires to close theinstrument,he simply takes hold of the finger piece G, on the main slideF, and simultaneously moves both main and ing them dust proof and torender the move ment of the parts noiseless.

It will be obvious that slight changes or modifications in the structureas described may be made without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patentis i 1. A front panel for playerpianos having an opening, a maln slide having a portion thereof cut awayslidably mounted on said panel and adapted, when positioned at oneextremity of its travel, to wholly cover said opening, and partiallyclose said opening, when positioned in the other extremity of itstravel, a transparent slide also slidably mounted on said panel andadapted to cooperate with the main slide, so as to occupy the positionof the cut away portion therein, for the purpose of closing said openingin the panel.

2. A front panel for player pianos having an opening, a main slidehaving a portion thereof cut away slidably mounted on said panel, and atransparent slide also slidably mounted on the panel and adapted tooccupy substantially the cut away space in the main slide, whereby saidopening may be closed either entirely by the main slide, or by the mainand transparent slides conjointly.

3. A front panel for player pianos having an opening, a main slideadapted to partially close said opening, and a cooperating transparentslide adapted to close said opening when the latter is partially closedby the main slide.

l. A front panel for player pianos having an opening, a main slidemounted on said panel shiftable to two positions and having two parts ofdifferent areas, one of which parts completely closes the opening whensaid slide occupies one of its positions, the other part partiallyclosing the opening when the slide occupies its other position and atransparent slide also mounted on the panel and cooperating with themain slide to close that portion of the opening which is left uncoveredwhen said main slide occupies the said other position.

5. Afront panel for player pianos provided with an opening, a main slidemounted on said panel and having one portion thereof adapted to fullyclose said opening and a second portion adapted to only close a part ofsaid opening, and a cooperating transparent slide mounted on the paneland adapted to close that part of the opening left uncovered by the saidsecond port-ion of the main slide.

6. A front panel for player pianos provided with a substantiallyrectangular shaped opening, an L-slide mounted thereon and shiftable totwo positions so as to bring either the vertical or the horizontalmember of the L-slide into register with the opening, said verticalmember of said slide being of such size as to entirely cover saidopening when in register therewith, and said horizontal member onlypartially covering the opening when the latter is in register therewith,and a cooperating transparent slide mounted on the panel, adapted tocover that portion of said opening left uncovered by said horizontalmember of the L-slide.

7 A front panel for player pianos provided with an opening, a main slidemounted on said panel and having one portion thereof adapted to fullyclose said opening and a second portion adapted to only close a part ofsaid opening, a cooperating transparent slide also mounted on the paneland adapted to close that part of the opening left uncovered by the saidsecond portion of the first named slide, and means for adjusting one ofsaid slides, whereby they may more accurately cooperate with one anotherto close the opening.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MIKE PRISCIANTELLI.

WVitnesses:

Gr. BEHNING, M. MACKENZIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of iatents,

Washington, D. 0.

